The Indian Army has encountered issues in receiving the second and final batch of AH-64E Apache helicopters from Turkey. Turkey did not allow the transport aircraft carrying the helicopters to fly over Turkish airspace, forcing the aircraft to abruptly turn back, and its flight returned to the hangar.
This has delayed delivery once again, adding to the ongoing delays the Indian Army already faced.
Who sabotaged the delivery of AH-64E Apaches to India?
According to plane spotter @KiwaSpotter, on October 30, the heavy-lift cargo aircraft, An-124 serial UR-82008, took off from its operations base in Leipzig, Germany, and landed at Mesa Gateway Airport, commonly known as Phoenix-Mesa Airport, in Arizona, as reported by The EurAsian Times.
Later, on November 1, the aircraft departed from Mesa Gateway Airport and arrived at East Midlands Airport in England, where it was on the ground for eight days. On November 8, instead of resuming its forward-pointing journey to India, the An-124 returned to Mesa Gateway Airport with the shipment. When it was back in Arizona, the Apache helicopters were unloaded from the An-124 and transported using F-250 trucks across the airport in the US.
A report by Eurasian Times, quoting a spokesperson from Boeing, has stated that some reports have said that it was the result of unspecified “logistical issues.” Citing a reliable source, the report stated that the An-124 was stuck in England for a week before returning to the US, as Turkey denied airspace permission for the transport aircraft carrying the AH-64E helicopters. When asked why Turkey denied the request, the source noted “the current state of relations between India and Turkey,”as reported by The EurAsian Times.
When did India-Turkey tensions escalate?
Relations between India and Turkey reached a new low after Turkey’s open alliance with Pakistan in a four-day war in May 2025. Turkey condemned India’s strikes under Operation Sindoor, which were in retaliation for the Pahalgam attack, and even provided military support, including dozens of drones, to Islamabad.
Turkey had backed Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, in which India carried out precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and PoJK in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. Soon, the Boycott Turkey movement in India started growing, thereby leading to a sharp decline in the sale of Turkish goods, causing its nation to face economic setbacks.
Turkey and Pakistan have a close relationship and stand as allies, where Turkey has provided diplomatic support to Pakistan, primarily. Since 2019, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has publicly mentioned Kashmir in his UN General Assembly (UNGA) speeches, stating Kashmir is a direct “threat to peace.” India has viewed this as interference in India’s internal affairs. Nonetheless, Turkey’s statements in support of Pakistan during Operation Sindoor deteriorated any remaining goodwill in India-Turkey relations.